Enhanced recoil attenuating safety helmet

Abstract

A helmet assembly that includes a shell configured to receive a head of a wearer of the helmet. The shell includes a reinforcing layer that has an outer surface and an inner surface. The reinforcing layer includes a series of linked coils that are entirely encased within a rigid filler material and are positioned between the outer surface and inner surface of the reinforcing layer. The series of linked coils includes at least first and second linked coils that each define an axis. The axes of the first and second linked coils are not co-axial.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A helmet assembly comprising:
 a shell configured to receive a head of a wearer of the helmet, the shell comprising a reinforcing layer that includes an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein the reinforcing layer comprises a series of linked coils that are entirely encased within a rigid filler material, wherein the series of linked coils are positioned between the outer surface and inner surface of the reinforcing layer, and wherein the series of linked coils includes at least first and second linked coils that each define an axis, and wherein the axes of the first and second linked coils are not co-axial.   
     
     
         2 . The helmet assembly of  claim 1  wherein the inner surface of the reinforcing layer generally forms a curved plane, and wherein the series of linked coils are arranged in overlapping rows to form a curved plane that is generally parallel to the curved plane of the inner surface of the reinforcing layer.